About J. Walter Thompson New York

For the past 150 years, JWT New York has been about marrying intelligent, sophisticated ideas to the technological innovations of the moment. As the headquarters of a global network of more than 10,000 people in 90 offices in more than 200 countries, we are indeed “worldmade”. Inspired by and of the world and taking those global insights and combining them with technology to deliver highly relevant communications across a wide array of platforms – paid, owned, co-created and earned -- for the brands that we serve.

We believe that brands today must be “smart brands” in that they must reinvent and reimagine themselves at the edges of the social/digital graph to meet the ever changing needs and expectations of individual users and communities in a closed-loop fashion so that they may adapt to fit the needs of individuals and not mass markets in as close to real time as possible.

In this ever-changing environment, our mission is to build creative platforms that combine the best of traditional, digital and below-the-line advertising in both paid and owned media; augment that with partnerships and co-creation with consumers and other brands; and complete the smart brand ecosystem through driving participation and evangelism through mobile and social media. We encourage the brands entrusted to our care to take risks, learn from the marketplace and reconfigure themselves to fit the meme and the moment. This is how smart brands gain increasingly cultural relevancy and iconic status. In shorthand being a smart brand is nothing more, nothing less than Do>Learn>Change.

Eclipsing the Millennials, who have dominated the news and pop culture agenda in recent years, this new, younger generation identifies as a distinctly different group in both behavior and mindset. In the U.K. and U.S., Gen Z comprises a quarter of the population, and in the U.S. alone the group represents over $44 billion in annual purchasing power. More inspired by Malala than Beyoncé, Gen Zers are characterized by ethical consumption habits, native digital technology use, entrepreneurial ambition and progressive views on topics ranging from education to gender, according to the report.

“We’re excited to showcase this rich study of a dynamic new generation,” said Lucie Greene, Worldwide Director of the Innovation Group. “Generation Zers are a complex mixture of sophistication and wide-eyed optimism. They are intelligent, confident and — importantly for brands — they question the prescribed norms of everything from formal education to gender politics. For brands to reach this group, they will need to understand what makes them tick and come to grips with these nuances.”

The report features over 70 pages of analysis and brand examples across sectors including beauty, retail, media, technology, education and more.

Generation Z Icons: Members of this group already making their mark on culture

For this report, the Innovation Group conducted quantitative studies using SONAR™, J. Walter Thompson’s proprietary research unit that develops and exploits new research techniques to understand cultures, brands and consumer motivation. A total of 1,000 individuals aged 12-19 were surveyed in the U.S. and the U.K. in February 2015. Insights are also underpinned by original interviews and photography documenting the lives and preferences of Gen Z case studies in London, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York.

The Generation Z report is available at JWTIntelligence.com. Sale price: $1,000.
View an executive summary of the report in the Slideshare below.